U.S. Government Accountability Office - K-12 Education: Prevention and Response to Adult Sexual Misconduct in Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps Programs - GAO-25-107670 - Q&A

Oct 15, 2026

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Report findings examine how U.S. schools implement Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (JROTC) oversight and how the Department of Defense (DOD) and the Department of Education coordinate to address adult sexual misconduct allegations involving instructors. Using a nationally generalizable survey of school administrators, the study estimates prevalence, reviews prevention and response practices, and summarizes information-sharing arrangements established through federal requirements and agreements. It also frames definitions of adult sexual misconduct as forms of sexual assault or harassment involving students.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages15

Reading Time38 min

AccessFree to download

Why This Matters

Program scope and purpose

Definition of adult sexual misconduct

Key Takeaways

Governance, MOA standardization, and guidance

Training and student/administrator oversight

Monitoring of coed and off-hours activities

Characteristics of JROTC Programs

Student enrollment and coursework

Extracurricular and off-campus activities

Funding and instructor structure

Prevalence of Adult Sexual Misconduct Allegations

: U.S. Government Accountability Office K-12 Education: Prevention and Response to Adult Sexual Misconduct in Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps Programs GAO-25-107670 Q&A Report to Congressional Requesters August 28 , 2025 Accessible Version Why This Matters The Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (JROTC) is a Department of Defense (DOD) program in over 3,400 U.S. public high schools and is designed to educate students on leadership and citizenship. In 2022, allegations that JROTC instructors had inappropriately touched, spoken to, or sexually assaulted students raised safety questions about the program. In response, Congress and DOD took steps to address these questions. For example, the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for fiscal year 2024 mandated that DOD require schools to report allegations of adult sexual misconduct by instructors to the appropriate military service. In 2023, DOD entered into an agreement to share information about allegations of adult sexual misconduct in schools that host JROTC programs (host schools) with the Department of Education. We were asked to examine how schools implement JROTC and how Education coordinates with DOD regarding adult sexual misconduct in the program. Sexual misconduct can be a type of sex discrimination. For the purposes of this report, we define adult sexual misconduct as an adult sexually assaulting, sexually harassing, or attempting to develop an intimate or sexual relationship with a student. This report provides findings from our nationally generalizable survey of school administrators on how schools oversee JROTC, how they prevent and respond to allegations of adult sexual misconduct, and whether administrators were aware of any adult sexual misconduct allegations against JROTC instructors in their schools in the prior 5 years. It also describes how DOD and Education share information to address sex discrimination in this program. This is the first of two reports on adult sexual misconduct in JROTC. Key Takeaways DOD sets policies and guidance for JROTC. The military services’ and school districts’ responsibilities are laid out in a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) . Prior to fall 2024, each military service had its own agreement, but the Fiscal Year 2024 National Defense Authorization Act required DOD to develop a standardized one. According to responses to our nationally generalizable survey in winter 2024– 2025, • An estimated range of 2 to 7 percent of administrators of public high schools with JROTC programs had at least one JROTC instructor who was the subject of an adult sexual misconduct allegation in the prior 5 years. • An estimated 89 percent of JROTC host schools have mandatory training for staff on adult sexual misconduct, covering topics such as recognizing and reporting such misconduct. An estimated 45 percent of host schools require this type of training for students. • An estimated 48 percent of school administrators drop in to observe JROTC classes at least twice a month, and 30 percent do so monthly. In addition, an estimated 18 percent of administrators drop in to observe JROTC activities outside of school hours frequently and 48 percent do so occasionally. • An estimated 49 percent of JROTC host schools require the presence of two adults for activities outside of regular school hours and 43 percent require one male and one female adult present for coed activities. Because only an estimated 11 percent of host schools have both a male and female instructor, schools may face challenges in having both male and female adults present. In September 2023, Education and DOD signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to improve information sharing and coordination to address discrimination, including sex discrimination, in JROTC programs. Under certain circumstances sex discrimination may include sexual misconduct. What are some characteristics of JROTC programs? JROTC programs enrolled nearly 500,000

FAQs

How does the report define adult sexual misconduct in the JROTC context?

The report defines adult sexual misconduct as an adult sexually assaulting, sexually harassing, or attempting to develop an intimate or sexual relationship with a student.

What does the report estimate about how common adult sexual misconduct allegations are?

Based on the survey, the report estimates that 2 to 7 percent of public high schools with JROTC programs had at least one instructor who was subject to an adult sexual misconduct allegation in the prior 5 years.

What prevention measures do JROTC host schools implement according to the survey?

The report estimates that about 89 percent of host schools have mandatory staff training on adult sexual misconduct, while about 45 percent require similar training for students.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Melati